The death has been announced of Antoni Wicherek, aged 86. Wicherek, who joined the Communist Party in 1961, was artistic director of Warsaw Opera from 1973 to 1981 before leaving to work in Egypt, Switzerland and Germany.
Returning in 1991, he led the Lodz Opera for four years, presiding over the premiere of Penderecki’s Roi Ubu.
Culture minister Vladimir Medinskiy has announced the cut in person to several institutions, including Mikhail Pletnev and his Russian National Orchestra.
Among other losers listed today by Izvestia are the Symphonic Capella of Russia (115 million rubles), Goskapella St. Petersburg (100m), Ekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theatre (141m), the Moscow Children’s Musical Theatre (114m) Novosibirsk Theatre Opera and Ballet (165m), the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg (139m) and Rostov State Musical Theatre (124m).
Gergiev’s Mariinky Theatre and the Bolshoi are apparently exempted.
Why are trombonists hot? Are cello players good in bed? What do oboe players earn?
Ricky O’Bannon of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has collated Google’s most-asked questions about orchestras and created an infographic, published below and (larger) here.
We have received sad news of the death of Hanns-Joachim (Hajo) Westphal, principal second violin of the Berlin Philharmonic through the Karajan years. He was 85.
Hajo features on numerous chamber music recordings with friends in the orchestra. On retiring from Berlin, he gave valuable help to Claudio Abbado in forming the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, where he played for nine summers.
‘Our whole LFO second violin section really loved him,’ writes Etienne Abelin. ‘We had the tradition of going for burger, fries and a Guiness in a local pub wherever we were, be it in Lucerne or on tour, which was always great fun. He was a passionate musician, extraordinary leader and man with never ending curiosity and wit.’
A Telegraph commentary by anti-abuse campaigner Ian Pace in response to the rape conviction of Philip Pickett ought to provoke a bout of soul-searching at England’s ‘elite’ music schools and conservatories.
Ought to, but probably won’t. The response to past crimes at Chetham’s and the RNCM in Manchester, resulting in the conviction of Mike Brewer and several further arrests, resulted in a battening down of hatches. Nobody in the governance of those schools at the time was called to account for turning a blind eye to what many students described as a predatory culture. Simmering trouble at the Purcell School, where a head was dismissed for improper activities, were swept similarly under the carpet. A over-up persists.
The Guildhall, where Pickett taught, has expressed regrets and cooperated with police without offering substantive proof that student safety is now paramount to its current practice.
At Juilliard in New York last month, one student’s complaint against a piano professor, resulted (as we reported) in his immediate suspension That has yet to happen in an English music school. Until it does, we cannot believe that the culture has changed.
A Telegraph commentary by anti-abuse campaigner Ian Pace in response to the rape conviction of Philip Pickett ought to provoke a bout of soul-searching at England’s ‘elite’ music schools and conservatories.
Ought to, but probably won’t. The response to past crimes at Chetham’s and the RNCM in Manchester, resulting in the conviction of Mike Brewer and several further arrests, resulted in a battening down of hatches. Nobody in the governance of those schools at the time was called to account for turning a blind eye to what many students described as a predatory culture. Simmering trouble at the Purcell School, where a head was dismissed for improper activities, were swept similarly under the carpet. The cover-up persists.
The Guildhall, where Pickett taught, has expressed regrets and cooperated with police without offering substantive proof that student safety is now paramount to its current practice.
At Juilliard in New York last month, one student’s complaint against a piano professor, resulted (as we reported) in his immediate suspension That has yet to happen in an English music school. Until it does, we cannot believe that the culture has changed.
Our Italian golo profondo has been shocked to discover that a private jet has been booked to fly Zubin Mehta from Naples (where he’s conducting Tristan next week) to Milan for Aida. Not once, but seven times.
In an era of austerity, that seems a tad … extravagant. Especially if La Scala is paying for it out of the public purse.
Mehta is substituting at La Scala for the late Lorin Mazel.
So we made a few enquiries. Nothing untoward, it seems. Mehta’s flights are being paid for by a private sponsor, his own, not La Scala’s (rather like the late Countess Ceschina would pay for Gergiev’s jets).
In fact, La Scala saves money on the deal. About 5,000 Euros in all on scheduled Business Class flights.
(not in one of these)
Philip Pickett cut quite a figure in the early music revolution of the 1970s. In the intersecting acts of performing, teaching and selling the new doctrines of period practice, he was a trumpet player who took up the record, shawn and rackett, founding and leading ensembles and negotiating their contracts with major record labels. His recordings with the New London Consort were highly praised and commercially successful.
Pickett was also a professor at the Guildhall from 1972 and a social animal. Married successively to a singer and a harpsichord player, he was seen at openings and dinner parties with leaders of the classical music industry. Colleagues found him quiet, unobtrusive. Women we have spoken to report no difficulties, or any suspicion of abusive attitudes.
But Pickett was a rapist who used sound-proofed practise rooms at the Guildhall to overcome impressionable young students. He got away with it because the Guildhall wanted his fame and was prepared to believe him above the tears of its students.
The Guildhall said today: ‘Although these events took place several decades ago, this does not diminish our utter shock that a professional music teacher could abuse the trust placed in him by the School and its students. The Guildhall School wholeheartedly welcomes the verdicts. Justice has been done and our thoughts are with the victims of these dreadful crimes. The Guildhall School takes the duty of care of its students extremely seriously. Robust safeguarding procedures are in place at the School to ensure safe learning environments for all students and these measures are regularly reviewed.’
Questions remain. Who knew? Who covered up? How many more girls were raped before the Jimmy Savile scandal made it impossible for elite music schools to hide behind soundproofed walls?
Pickett’s name will go down in disgrace. But there is much to be done to ensure that music schools in England are safe and fit for purpose.
Philip Pickett, founder and leader of several early music ensembles, has been sentenced at the Old Bailey to 11 years for rape and attempted rape of young women students at the Guildhall School of Music in the 1970s and 1980s.
The case has been unreported until this morning, due to restrictions imposed by the judge.
Pickett, 64, denied the charges.
He was convicted of raping a 16 year old girl during a recorder lesson back in 1978. She reported it after the Jimmy Savile scandal broke two years ago. Parents of a 17 year-old he attacked were told by the Guildhall School of Music to consider sending her elsewhere. Police believe there may be more victims who have yet to come forward.
‘In each case there is an aggravating feature that this was a gross abuse of process,’ Judge Charles Wilde told Pickett.
‘You were their teacher. To a degree, they were in awe of you, especially the schoolgirls. There is the location of the offences – in the practise rooms at the Guildhall School of Music.’
Pickett was found guilty of two counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault. He was found not guilty of a further six counts.
One victim, 16 years at the time, came to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1978 as a sixth form student to learn the recorder with Pickett. During a lesson Pickett asked her to take her top off, suggesting she needed to work on her breathing. He then ordered her to lie on the floor before indecently assaulting her. During a lesson the following week she was raped by Pickett.
The judge’s sentence is almost twice as long as the six years handed to director of music Mike Brewer for offences that occurred while he was at Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music.
Pickett has been a leading figure in early music performance and the music industry. More here.
UPDATE: Oxford Mail reports: After he was convicted on February 10, Pickett’s defence team tried to delay sentencing to accommodate Pickett’s commitment to arranging three music festivals.
But Judge Wide rejected it, saying the defendant had his “head in the sand” and carried on as if nothing had happened.
The conductor, 75 today, has given a soft-soap interview to Deutsche Welle. He has found the key to happiness: ‘Routine is a horrible word. It shouldn’t exist for anyone. I preach that practically like a priest,’ he says.
He speaks of his love of Washington, DC, failing to mention his demission this week. Read here.
The veteran conductor Vladimir Fedoseyev is making a good recovery, Tass reports from Moscow, after being rushed to hospital in a serious condition two weeks ago. He has been transferred to a regular ward and hopes to fulfil a pair of Moscow concerts in a month’s time.
Sanford I. Weill stepped down today as chairman of Carnegie Hall, a post he has commanded with great vigour since 1991.
He is succeeded by Ronald O. Perelman, who has been a trustee for 27 years. Weill becomes president.
Weill is 81, Perelman 72.
You ever wonder why Carnegie doesn’t pack in the kids the way it did in Lenny’s day?
UPDATE: Perelman told the NY Times that ‘he was not much of a classical music enthusiast and would push for the hall to stage more of the pop performances it was known for decades ago.’
press release:
NEW YORK, NY—Carnegie Hall today announced that Sanford I. Weill, Chairman of Carnegie Hall’s Board of Trustees since 1991, will retire from this post after 24 remarkable years of service and a total of 32 years as a Carnegie Hall trustee. Mr. Weill will continue to serve as a member of Carnegie Hall’s board, transitioning to a new role as President, a title formerly held by the late violinist Isaac Stern. Mr. Weill is only the second person to hold the title of President since Carnegie Hall was established as a non-profit in 1960.
Ronald O. Perelman, a Carnegie Hall trustee for 27 years since joining the board in 1988 and a Vice Chairman since 2012, was elected today as the new Chairman of the Board of Trustees at a meeting of the organization’s Board of Trustees. He succeeds Mr. Weill as Chairman. Both Mr. Weill and Mr. Perelman assume their new posts effective immediately.
Sanford I. Weill said, “Since my earliest days of being involved at Carnegie Hall, Isaac Stern was an important mentor to me, passing on his passion for this amazing place. The two of us shared a vision for what the Hall could mean one day as an important center for music education and a place to bring people together through the power of music as a universal language. I feel proud to have worked for so many years with the entire Carnegie Hall family to support and advance this vision, and it is meaningful to me to now share this association with him as the Hall’s next President. As always, I remain very excited about Carnegie Hall’s future, and I know that Ronald Perelman, a longtime advocate of Carnegie Hall and my very good friend and colleague, will do a great job as our next Chairman. I look forward to working with him, Clive Gillinson, and the entire team as we continue to forge the path ahead.”
Ronald O. Perelman said, “Carnegie Hall is known around the world for representing the best in music, and I’ve seen firsthand through my work as a Vice Chairman that the strong reputation that it enjoys today is due in large part to leaders in its history like Sandy who have been completely dedicated to fulfilling its mission. It’s a great honor and privilege to serve as the Hall’s next Chairman and to have the opportunity to build on such a strong foundation, working with the board, staff, and everyone who loves Carnegie Hall to envision a future that takes it into its next 125 years and beyond.”
Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director, said, “This new appointment appropriately honors Sandy Weill as one of the people who has most contributed to the history and legacy of Carnegie Hall. Sandy’s incredible show of leadership over more than three decades has played an essential role in helping expand Carnegie Hall into the world-class institution as we know it today. We send our heartfelt thanks to both him and his wife, Joan, for the extraordinary personal commitment that they’ve shown over the years as we look forward to beginning this new chapter together.”
Mr. Gillinson continued, “For many years now, I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Ronald Perelman, a dedicated member of our board’s leadership, a passionate music lover, and someone who is deeply committed to Carnegie Hall. We’re delighted that he has accepted this new role as our Chairman and I’m excited to begin our work together, ensuring that the Hall continues to serve audiences and music in the very best way for many more generations to come.”
